When the UK immigrant finally arrives in US

Quoted from another thread:

Then thereafter, you (meaning whomever immigrated to the U.S.) cannot leave the U.S. for an entire year (unless of course it's for business purposes) and if that's the case you need to get a notarized letter from the company stating so, how long it will be and when you will return.  This information was given to me by my best friend who went through the immigration process with her English husband.  

That doesn't sound right... what kind of visa did her English husband enter on? Did she do a DCF filing like we're all doing, or did he go over with an employer, or were there special circumstances?

I ask because David went to London last summer and had a consultation with a US immigration lawyer, since at the time there was a chance he'd be getting a job in the US. Anyway, the lawyer said that the easiest way to get into the US, in our situation (one of us US citizen, one of us UK citizen) was this Direct Consular Filing, since it meant that with visa in hand, once David steps off the plane in the US he's good to go, and said nothing about restrictions about travelling...

In fact, he told us that David would have a green card in hand shortly after arriving in the States. I'm not sure how this works... does anyone? Or were we misinformed?

And everything I've heard is that once you get your visa in your hand, you have 6 months to move to the US...

Quoted from another thread:


That doesn't sound right... what kind of visa did her English husband enter on? Did she do a DCF filing like we're all doing, or did he go over with an employer, or were there special circumstances?

Don't know?  It was Tammy.  I will ask her.  She specifically said after Rowley got his green card (after they got married) he could not leave the country for one year that was one of the rules and regulations.  Why they would have different rules and regulations just for your basic green card holder is beyond me but stranger things have happened.   They even had trouble because their honeymoon was out of the continental United States in another country and almost had to cancel it.  But because he did a lot of business travel out of the country at that time, it was handled as such..

And everything I've heard is that once you get your visa in your hand, you have 6 months to move to the US...

Call Andy at the American Embassy 0905 544.4546 that's who told me this today.  That's why sometimes it's better to just do it alone.  This gets to be like that game telephone one little word can change the entire context and meaning of the rules and guidelines.  I love sharing it and helping eachother out but sometimes this gets to be nuts.  But we'll muddle through I suppose.  

If it was a K1 fiancé visa he had, it is true you cannot leave the US without Advanced Parole (a document you have to get from BCIS) until you have adjusted status. With a K3 Spousal visa you do not need AP and with DCF you are already a PR so you of course can come and go as you please as long as you are not out of the US for longer than a year (in which case you might lose the green card and have to go through the immigration process again).

If it was a K1 fiancé visa he had, it is true you cannot leave the US without Advanced Parole (a document you have to get from BCIS) until you have adjusted status. With a K3 Spousal visa you do not need AP and with DCF you are already a PR so you of course can come and go as you please as long as you are not out of the US for longer than a year (in which case you might lose the green card and have to go through the immigration process again).

I understood everything but "and with DCF you are already a PR".... what's a PR?

All this lingo!

If it was a K1 fiancé visa he had, it is true you cannot leave the US without Advanced Parole.

You know what I think he did have the K1 since he was in the U.S. at the time and they did not do a DCF...

Don't you just love all these terms!!  I need a guideline alone for just the all the terms they use..

hiya!

Ive got Martin's Visa in front of me. Its a multi-colour watermarked paper that clearly states the validity of this visa.

Issued 21 Oct 2003, Expires midnight at the end of 20 April 2004

The brown envelope, btw, contains all the photocopies of evidence they take from you at the interview. The visa paper is stapled to the front. You cant open the envelope or you invalidate the visa. Its opened at your POE by an immigration officer.

People who apply for spousal visas are granted green cards as soon as they enter the country and should arrive at your selected contact address in the US in approx 3 weeks (last I heard). The green card entitles the holder to unlimited travel into and out of the united states. A green card holder is a legal permanent resident.

Thanks a billion, Sarah.

PR = permanent resident

Thanks Squirrel. You're a big help as always.